The Ties That Bind
by PlayTheGame
Summary: It's easy to unravel the threads of a secret…all you have to do is pull. In the town of Bloomington, the McMahon family is a pillar of the community. Jon Moxley is looking for an opportunity. Seth Rollins is trying to solve a case. And Paul Levesque is about to learn just what he married into. AU crime drama with Moxley/Rollins/HHH/Stephanie/Becky and maybe others.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. I still exist lol. Bit of a departure this one, for me anyways. Consider this my way to exercise the awful Moxley/Ambrose demon that has been tormenting me for like, ever. I don't even know why I like him so much gah, but I do. Some more characters than the norm here. Shield boys, the McMahon's etc. I have some more written but wanted to gauge the reaction, if there's a reaction at all! Be gentle. It's been a while**.

* * *

The red and blue lights were already reflecting against the water when Seth Rollins arrived at the scene. The area was practically desolate apart from this one abandoned hut-like building at the bank of the river. He stepped out of the black SUV, boots crunching on the icy ground, and let his eyes run over the place. Now that he was here, it wasn't difficult to see why their perp had chosen this location to commit his crime. Other than the few houses he passed along the way, there was nothing.

"Where is she?" As he spoke, little puffs of white accompanied his words. It was below freezing and the frigid night air was threatening to snow. The black stillness of the water just a few feet away could have created an eerie atmosphere if not for the various police and technicians all over the place.

"We found her over here."

Seth followed the young uniformed cop. He must have been fresh out of the academy. Or maybe the kid was just wet behind the ears, at least compared to him. Bloomington was a small enough town but Seth had risen through the ranks as fast as any young uniform could hope to do. Now he was Deputy Sheriff and one of the most respected law enforcement officers in the county.

"We?"

"Well, I didn't find her. We…my partner and I, we got the call. Stolen car. Some people up the road reported it swerving and then smoke. Cars out the back all burnt up."

Both men ducked under a wayward support beam as they walked through the broken structure and then stopped short; the place was falling apart. The crime scene unit was already there, working diligently to secure the scene and start gathering evidence.

Seth let his eyes look upon the body. A little lump gathered in his throat. No matter how many times…it never got easy.

She was laid up against a wooden post. Blue skin and bulging eyes. Did she look familiar? It was the gaping stab wound in her chest that drew his attention. Seth cautiously stepped closer and crouched down, careful not to let himself touch her in any way. It was a massive hole and had clearly been delivered with brute force. No sign of blood in the immediate vicinity. It must have happened somewhere else.

"Rollins," nodded the lead at the scene.

"Hey man," Seth nodded back. "What are you thinking?"

"Don't know what to think yet. I can tell you this much though, she wasn't murdered here."

Seth nodded again. "Yeah. Or we've got a very clean killer on our hands."

The crime scene tech scoffed. "Not likely. Sheriff here yet?"

"I called him before I left. Should be here soon." Seth recalled the other man's tone when he got the news. Apparently, it was date night. Well, for him too. He had left the lovely Becky before they even had a chance to eat dessert. It was going well between them. It had to be considering this would now mark the third time he had run out on her during a date. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't be their last.

"Good. Wanted to run over a different case with him while he's here."

"What one?"

"Weisman. The drug murder from two weeks ago."

Seth stood and straightened his jacket. "You think they're connected?"

"Look at her arms." The tech pointed to the visible track marks at the inward bend of each arm. The little black holes lay in stark contrast to her frosty pale skin. "There's been a string of drug-related deaths coming through the doors lately. A whole lotta bodies with a whole lotta trackies on their arms like little Miss. Frozen over here. I think they're all connected.

Seth slowly nodded. The guy had a point. "I'm the lead on Weisman. Ask away."

* * *

It was the faint buzzing that startled her.

Stephanie opened her eyes and blinked. Had she fallen asleep?

The blue light from the cell phone on the coffee table slowly faded and then disappeared but it was enough to alert her tired eyes. When she had sat down on the sofa with a grant application and a glass of wine there had still been daylight sifting in through the windows. Now the place was in darkness.

How long had she been sleeping for anyway? A quick glance at the mantle revealed it was just after one.

In the morning.

A slight quiver developed in her gut when she looked around and realised she was alone but it quickly settled. Her daughter was staying at a friend's house and her son was away with his baseball team for a game. The message on the phone revealed that they had won and he struck out three guys on the opposite team. A smile tugged at her lips. The Coach at school had been telling her for years that he was talented. A genuine prospect even. But Stephanie wrote it off as the Coach paying lip service to the Principal…which just so happened to be her.

Her son signed off his message with a little 'x' and her smile turned to a full-blown grin. Even at 17, he was still the sweetest boy. Stephanie wished she could say the same for her beautiful daughter who hadn't bothered to get in touch all night.

She blew out a breath.

At 15 the girl was driving her parents nuts with her attitude and behavior. It was clearly just a phase but both she and her husband were oh so eager for it to pass and quickly. As she thought of her husband, Stephanie absently picked up the phone again.

No messages from him either.

They had been hoping for some time alone tonight but didn't even make it past dinner.

Stephanie stretched her long limbs and sat up a bit. Outside, the sound of a car approaching drew closer until it stopped. A door shut, followed by three little beeps to signal it had been locked. A tired smile tugged at her lips as she listened to his footsteps. She'd know that sound anywhere.

Paul Levesque opened the door to his home and stepped inside, his expression harrow. He replaced it with a smile upon seeing his wife all cuddled up on the sofa. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied easily. The look on his face as he walked through the door wasn't lost on her but Stephanie ignored it, just happy to see him. She tipped her head back as he walked behind the sofa. Her eyes slipped shut at the feel of his lips and she reached up to grab lightly at the back of his neck. She let her hand drop when he pulled away and pressed her lips together, enjoying the cold sensation from his kiss. "You're cold."

"It's trying to snow. Thankfully it didn't."

"How did it go out there?"

Paul sighed as he sat down, maneuvering her legs so her feet rested in his lap. He said nothing, instead choosing to trail his fingers up and down her calf. He didn't like talking to her about these things but she always insisted.

"Babe?"

"We found a body. Nothing serious."

"Nothing seri…?"

Her sentence was cut short when he yanked on her foot, tugging her into a position where she was practically laying on her back. Stephanie's eyes twinkled, first in annoyance and then with excitement as his hand started traveling higher up her leg.

"What're you doing still up anyway?"

He clearly didn't want to talk about it and she wasn't going to push him. Instead, she reached for him, smiling as he shifted to lean over her. "Maybe I was waiting for you?"

Paul glanced at the near-empty bottle of wine sitting next to the stack of papers on the coffee table. Her glass was there too but it was full. There was no way his wife would have voluntarily not plowed through that glass so the conclusion was obvious.

"You fell asleep, huh?"

"I did."

"Not surprising considering you drank all my wine."

"Oh it's your wine, is it?"

"I bought it."

"Hmmm."

"Getting yourself good and loaded while pretending to grade papers. What would those poor students say if they knew?"

Stephanie smirked. She played with the collar of his shirt and hooked her leg around his waist. "They'd probably think I was some sort of reprobate."

"You are some sort of reprobate."

"Is this the part where you try to arrest me? I already told you I want no part in your law and order fantasies…"

He had been doing a pretty good job keeping a straight face but that one broke him. He chuckled lowly and fastened his hand to her thigh, trailing his fingers along the leg she so kindly had wrapped around him.

Paul swore that if he didn't have this to come home to, his wife, his kids, he probably would be insane. On nights like tonight where they were called to the scene to find a young woman murdered and left there to freeze. She had track marks on both arms and that gaunt face, telltale signs of a user. Paul knew it was drug-related. It hadn't seemed to hit the press yet but their town, their county, was riddled with the stuff. There was obviously a new supplier around. Too many deaths. Too many people being silenced. Not enough answers.

He chose not to dwell on it. He was at home. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

"Where did you end up putting her?"

"Dumped her at that old abandoned place. The hut."

"Beside the river?"

"Yeah."

"Took one of the old cars with no plates. Burnt it out back to confuse the cops."

"How did you get back?"

"Boat. Found it at the hut. Piece of fucking junk but it got me home. I pushed it back out to the river before I came here. It'll turn up somewhere or nowhere. We're covered."

Jon Moxley wiped the back of his hand against his face. The stench of petrol made a smile tug at his lips but it didn't spread. That was good. The last thing he needed was some dead chick being found where all his customers gathered. Jones had done well dumping her that far. He slapped the other man on the back and stood, wiping his stained hands on his shirt. They left greasy black marks against the white wife-beater he wore.

"Is it fixed?"

"What?"

"The car?" Jones indicated with his hand.

"Nah. I work on it for fun. Keeps my hands busy. And my mind."

Jones half-smiled. Moxley was a weird dude. Weird enough not to joke with about his state of mind. They had run together back when they were teens along with a few others. Stealing stuff. Fighting people. Then Jones got sent away. When he got out, it was Moxley who was inside that time around. Jon had been released a few months back and gone was the carelessness in how he did things. There was definitely a much more calculated approach to doing business this time around. An approach that meant Jones was a well-paid man. So long as he kept his mouth shut and followed orders there would always be a nice thick envelope with his name on it.

As if on cue, Moxley produced a brown envelope from his back pocket and thrust it into Jones waiting hand. "I have a job for you. Mid-week. You in?"

Jones nodded, pocketing the envelope securely, enjoying its weight. "Send me the details."

Moxley watched the other man leave, eyes trained on the back of his head until it was out of sight. He stood there silently for a few moments, contemplating. That dumb bitch last night had nearly cost him everything. He hadn't been the one to do it but he didn't care that somebody knifed her. She was making too much noise, upset that her weekly syringe packet had gone up. She had even threatened to go to the cops, claiming she knew the Sheriff and a whole bunch of other bullshit she never got to say.

Jon had been at the other side of the house and walked into the room just in time to see the knife pierce her chest. She fucking bled everywhere too. It was truly surreal, watching somebody die in front of you while a room full of junkies just sat there, staring into space. He had seen worse in prison but it was always chaotic and noisy. The violence was suffocating. This was so underwhelming it was almost like it didn't even happen. He faintly remembered that somebody started laughing. Or maybe it was the sound of blondie choking and gurgling on her last breath. Either way, it all happened quickly after that. Jones told him to get out of there, that he would handle it. And he did. Jon had been back to that shit-hole house this morning and there wasn't a trace of blood anywhere, just the same spaced out crack heads still lying in the same spot as the night before.

No point in dwelling on the matter. He absently shrugged his broad shoulders and walked to the mini fridge, pulling out a beer. The screw cap twisted off easily and was thoughtlessly dropped to the floor. Jon flopped into the worn wingback chair and flipped on the TV. He was a simple man with simple needs and simple surroundings. He lived in a former abandoned garage. It was the only place he could find after his release and nobody had come asking questions. The large vaulted room had space to work on cars and he had built a small liveable area in the back around the kitchenette that was already there. A bed, a few chairs, a fridge and a TV. It's not like he was here very often. There was a washroom at the front of the place near the car jack and a bathroom extension next to it. It was more than enough.

The beer was cool and crisp as he took a long pull from the bottle. A familiar face appeared on the screen. Their very own Sheriff Paul Levesque. He was talking about the discovery of a body late last night. Female. Mid-twenties. Frozen. Brutal murder.

Jon sighed.

Great.

What were the chances she would be found on the outskirts of town? He let his thoughts wander, imagining all the ways somebody could have spotted her? Was Jones followed? Did Jones set him up? He was teetering on the edge until an even more familiar face appeared on the TV, drawing his mind right back into focus.

Jon almost spat out his beer.

A different man had stepped to the podium and was making an appeal for information. He was younger than Levesque. Black hair scraped back in a bun. Tall and bearded. He looked to have packed on considerable muscle since the last time Jon had seen him but then again, that had been when they were teenagers.

"No fucking way," Jon muttered. His hand was gripping the bottle tightly, hardly able to believe it.

"We would re-issue the appeal for information put out by Deputy Sheriff Rollins and the Bloomington Police Department. Back to you in the studio, Tom."

There was no getting past it, not now that the newscaster had confirmed the name.

Seth fucking Rollins.

A cop?

Jon couldn't help himself. He laughed and laughed and laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Now that the world is on lockdown and I can't leave the house, you might be seeing some steady (steadier!) updates from me, woo! Or maybe not. Who can tell!? Thanks to my faithful reviewers. Nice to know somebody is still reading lol. And the 2 Britts :) **_

* * *

"Just do it Rollins!"

"He won't do it. Fucking pussy."

"Shut up! He will. Watch."

Fifteen-year-old Seth Rollins didn't want to. But he knew he had to.

He trailed Brian McDermott by a few paces. It was obvious the other boy was very aware of the trio that walked behind him. Seth could even see the sweat patches developing under his arms and on his back. They were stark against his grey t-shirt and Seth hated it. He was obviously shitting himself and rightly so.

Brian was a year younger than them but shared a few classes at school. He was a smart kid, a straight-A student and heavy set. He sucked at sports and spoke with a soft lisp. This obviously made him a prime target for various groups in school who bullied him relentlessly. And today Brian was about to get his first beat down courtesy of Seth Rollins.

"Hey jump rope!" Seth called out. It was what everybody called him at school because not once had he been able to climb it in class. One time, he got three pulls up and promptly fell off, sparking the nickname that would no doubt haunt him for the rest of his life. With his friends snickering behind him, Seth jogged to stand side by side with Brian. He shoved at the other boy's shoulder. "I'm talking to you."

"I just want to get home. Let me past."

"Just wanna get home huh?" Jon Moxley stepped out from the group and shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't 'just wanna get home' earlier when you were making Jonesy here look like a dumbass in English class did you?"

Jones face hardened as he recalled the incident just after lunch. The whole class had been laughing, even the teacher. Well, the fat fucker was about to learn that nobody made him look stupid and got away with it.

"It was just a joke."

"I don't see anybody laughing. Do you?" Jones made a show of looking around. "I wonder what's so funny. You know what I think is funny?"

Brian didn't see it coming. In a flash, he was on his back with kicks and punches raining down from all angles. The three boys continued their attack until the sound of running footsteps and yelling interrupted. Jones took off running even faster than his first punch.

So did Jon.

And so did Seth.

He didn't doubt his ability to outrun whoever was chasing. He was fast and agile. A wide receiver on the football team even. So he kept running, clearing fences and walls until the only thing he could hear was his own heavy breathing.

Bent over, sweating and out of breath, Seth took a moment to slow his heartbeat and reassess. He knew from the second Brian opened his mouth in class that he would get his ass beat at some point today. Jones was a fucking moron. Everybody knew it. But he was bigger than even the seniors in their school and he loved to fight. That's why Seth had hitched his wagon to Jones. Well, to Jon. Jon was actually his friend, or at least he had been, until he fell in with Jones and his crew. These days Seth found himself scheming to rob candy stores for a bar of chocolate and beat people up because 'it was funny'. For a dorky, lanky kid interested in underground music, coffee and wrestling, Seth figured it was better to be with Jones than against him. At least this way he would never be on the receiving end of a beatdown from him. It was just unfortunate that Jon didn't seem to share his sentiment. If Seth didn't know any better he might even think that Jon enjoyed this stuff.

He straightened up and almost immediately jumped out of his skin at the feel of a hand on his shoulder. Seth whipped around to find Jon standing there laughing. His messy brown hair was matted to his head but his blue eyes shone brightly, clearly amused by the whole situation.

"You scared the shit outta me man!"

"I'm sorry," Jon replied looking anything but. "Did Jonesy get away?"

"I have no idea. Hopefully not." The second part was muttered low enough for only Seth to hear.

"I knew you weren't a chicken. I'm proud of you."

"Proud? Of that? We just beat Brian up because he called Jones a dumbass. Guess what Jon? Jones IS a dumbass!"

"What's your problem?" Jon stepped forward, puffing out his chest. He didn't understand why Seth always went through this fucking melodrama every time they did something. "It was just a bit of fun."

"Whatever," Seth mumbled, shoving past his friend and starting the long walk home. They had followed Brian in the opposite direction of their houses. He didn't even bring his bike. What a stupid way to spend his afternoon.

* * *

The memory came to Seth as he stood behind the sullen figure of Brian McDermott. The man's shoulders were hunched; body language defeated as he looked through the large glass window. On the other side, a body lay on the all too familiar steel table.

At least it was familiar to Seth.

For Brian, it was his first time here and his first time identifying a family member. He looked at his little sister just lying there so peacefully, like she was taking a nap. Her body was covered to the neck by a white sheet and he could see her toes poking out the other end. They weren't even painted. She had always loved to paint her toes and nails. He couldn't see her hands. He felt his own grow clammy and his heart start to beat faster.

Seth couldn't see the other mans face but he could tell from the way his breathing started to pick up speed and quickly turn into short little gasps that he wasn't taking it well. It was obviously her and there was no point making him stay here any longer or say it out loud. He took in a breath of his own and reached out. "That's all we need Brian. You can head on out with Officer Davis now okay?"

Brian turned and nodded absently, letting the Officer lead him to another room down the hall. Seth watched him go and then took a moment. He remembered Lena. She had been his first proper kiss. After the beating they gave Brian all those years ago, Seth felt sick. When Brian came back to school he had apologised and over the years the two of them had a civil enough relationship. Seth got to watch Brian shed his weight and turn into quite the catch as he reached his college years. Now he was a successful consultant and probably making more money than everybody in their class combined. He always wondered if that stupid day had been a turning point for him. Regardless, he had been introduced to Lena at a party not long after the fight and they made out like crazy all night long. Seth's hormone riddled teenage self could hardly believe how amazing she was. Turns out she wasn't that amazing once he got used to being around women but you always remembered your first. Now she was lying dead on a slab and he was about to start questioning her brother for information. Life came at you fast in Bloomington.

With a final nod to the medical examiner behind the glass, Seth followed Brian's trail down the hall and into an investigation room. Brian was seated at the table fiddling with the cuff of his sweater sleeve. He poured a glass of water from the cooler and stepped inside.

"You alright to do this now? It can wait if you need some time…"

"No," Brian interrupted. "I want to do it now. My parents are…they need answers. We all do." He accepted the glass as it was passed across the table and took a long drink. His throat was parched.

On cue, another man entered the room. Paul nodded at Seth and then pulled a chair next to the victim's brother. He reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. McDermott, I'm sorry we're here today but thanks for coming in. I know it can't be easy. Are you okay to answer some questions for us…"

"Yes. I just…let's get it over with, huh?"

Paul nodded and dropped his hand. The guy seemed to be holding it together well enough. He was happy to proceed and motioned behind the glass window to whoever was there to start recording.

"This is Sheriff Paul Levesque. I'm here with Deputy Sheriff Seth Rollins and Mr. Brian McDermott to start the investigation into the death of Miss Lena McDermott. The time is ten forty-two am on January fourteen.

Paul took a moment before launching into a tried and true method of questioning. With his bulletproof alibi of being on the other side of the country for a conference during the murder, Brian wasn't a suspect. It was more to get a sense of the victim and her life than anything else. Maybe shake a few leads loose.

"Can you think of anybody who might want Lena dead? Was she in trouble with anyone? Boyfriends? Ex-boyfriends?"

Seth swallowed hard. He hardly counted but the mere question coming out of his boss's mouth in such a formal way was enough to make him shiver. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't yet told Paul that he had a somewhat personal connection to the victim or this witness. He didn't want kicked off the case. The drug murder, Lena, it was all part of the same story. There was no way he was getting kicked off this case over something that happened fifteen years ago.

"Lena had…problems," Brian spoke softly. He was drained.

"What kind of problems?" Paul asked even though he knew the answer. The case file mentioned track marks and telltale signs of drug abuse over an extended period of time.

"She was addicted to drugs. Heroin. To be honest…I haven't really kept in touch. She drifted from the family. I…I really don't know what she gets up to or who she sees anymore. She stopped visiting my parents. Only got in touch when she needed money. I started…I started ignoring her calls."

Brian took a breath, a sad smile crossing his face. "She never used to be like this you know. She loved music. Punk bands and stuff. I'm sure you remember."

Seth made sure his expression didn't change as Brian motioned to him. It was quite the feat considering he could feel the side of his face burning from Paul's gaze. He ignored it and quickly changed the subject. "Would you be able to give us a home address? Did she work? Anybody we should talk to in her social circles that could shed some light on her current situation?"

Paul absently twirled his wedding ring, a habit for restless fingers, as he stared daggers at his young partner. Seth was his protege. A damn fine detective and excellent deputy. He would no doubt be the one to step into Paul's shoes when the time came. But they were nowhere near close to that. And protege or not, Seth was lying. He knew more than he was letting on.

The conversation continued without Paul saying much. Brian gave as much information as he could. An address. The last job he knew his sister had held. The name of a guy he knew she had been with. An off and on thing with another junkie like her apparently. Paul didn't think they'd get much more out of Brian other than what they had and the identification of the body. He rose to his feet and extended his hand. "I'm sorry for your loss Brian, and your family. The Department will be in touch as soon as we can about arrangements for the body."

Brian offered a firm handshake and looked between the two policemen, one a distant friend from another life and the other, a respected Sheriff with the reputation to follow. "You'll find whoever did this to her? She wasn't perfect but…"

"We'll find them."

Paul shot a glance at Seth. Promising family members was absolutely not protocol. He should know better. Thankfully he gave the instruction to stop recording before Seth had spoken.

"Thank you both."

The three men shook hands and exited the investigation room. It wasn't a long walk back into the main precinct office. The buzzing phones and general chatter was an immediate attack on the senses. Holding cells sat at the far end of the room with low life criminals inside constantly taunting anybody who would listen.

Paul headed straight for his office and waited for Seth to return after walking Brian out. A few minutes later and Seth returned, shutting the door to give some privacy for a conversation he was in no way looking forward to having.

"We'll find them, huh?"

"We will. What? You don't have faith in us to catch this guy?" The deadpan expression he received in response told Seth that his humour wasn't appreciated. He let out a sigh and took a seat. Despite the chilly weather, it was hot in the office, the temperature only rising under the heavy gaze staring at him from across the table.

Paul remained silent.

"Look, I loosely know Brian. We went to school together and maybe hung out about 3 times or something when we were kids."

"And the sister?"

"We dated. I wouldn't even call it dating. We just…were together for a few weeks and then it was over. This was ages ago Paul. Back in school. Over fifteen years. I didn't think it was important and…"

"You didn't want to be taken off the case." Paul finished for him. He understood, even if he didn't agree.

"Right."

"I get it. Okay? But you know this is something so minor Seth. If we went around taking people off cases who have some sort of personal connection then I'd have no officers left."

"I'm sorry."

"You have to be careful with shit like this. You're not just a Detective any more. You're Deputy Sheriff. Everything you do and say has to be accounted for. More than ever. Do you understand?"

"I do." Seth let the words sink in and then repeated himself. "I do."

"Good." Paul nodded. "Now, I think you have some people to talk to. Start sniffing around the contacts Brian gave us and let me know when you're heading out to the ex-boyfriend. I'll be joining you for that one."


End file.
